ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Auftragstaktik

Auftragstaktik is a big and fancy word that means giving someone a mission or a task to do, and then letting them figure out how to do it on their own.

Think of it like this: Imagine you are playing a game with friends, and your friend is the leader. Your friend then tells you that your mission is to find a hidden treasure in the backyard. You and your other friends can work together, but you have to figure out how to find the treasure on your own without your friend telling you what to do step-by-step.

This is kind of like how auftragstaktik works. The leader gives you a task or a mission, but then lets you decide how to complete it based on your own skills, knowledge, and resources. It's like giving you a puzzle to solve without giving you all the pieces.

In the grown-up world, auftragstaktik is often used in military situations, where commanders give their soldiers a mission and then trust them to make decisions about how to complete it based on what they see and learn in the moment. This flexibility and freedom allows soldiers to be creative and adapt to changing situations, making them better equipped to handle unexpected problems and challenges. Overall, auftragstaktik is a way of empowering people to take ownership of their tasks and find the best ways to accomplish them on their own.